Albus, Scorpius, and the Book of Fate
by Mystwalker
Summary: Albus and Scorpius are off to their first year of Hogwarts, but from the very beginning, nothing turns out as expected. Hogwarts is supposed to be a peaceful place now that the war has ended, but with the new Headmaster's daughter starting to avoid the two of them like the plague and students complaining of odd dreams, are things really as peaceful as they seem?
1. Reversal of Fate

**Albus, Scorpius and the Book of Fate**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **Hey everyone! This particular fic was a dare from my younger sister, who wanted to see something a little different. You'll see in a minute! Hope it turns out well anyway!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 1: REVERSAL OF FATE**

The train lumbered on away from the station, moving quickly through the British countryside. Scorpius sat by the window of an empty compartment, his new wand in his hand. He rolled the wood over in his palm, his mind still going back to the words Ollivander whispered to him as he solemnly placed the wand in its box, his eyes fixed on his father, who turned away for just a moment to whisper something to his mother. A look of old pain had crossed the wandmaker's eyes only briefly, before he turned to the young boy in front of him and handed him his wand. He chuckled, a dry, tired sound.

"_Rowan and unicorn hair, eh?" _he had said. _"That's an interesting combination you have, my boy. That wand will go on to do great things, if you have the heart for it…Seven Galleons, Mister Malfoy." _

The last sentence had been said to his father as Draco returned to his side, solemnly handing the coins to the wandmaker before ushering Scorpius out of the shop. The youngest Malfoy remembered watching as his father exchanged a terse nod with the next family heading inside, following a boy with messy black hair and green eyes…

What did Ollivander mean by…an interesting combination?

He had thought about asking his father about it, but had decided not to in the end. The wandmaker's words had the air of secrecy about them, and Scorpius had a feeling that Ollivander didn't want them to be shared, especially not with Draco Malfoy.

"Hey, here's one!" said a voice from the hallway outside, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Scorpius frowned, looking up as the door slid open with a metallic clang, revealing a collection of eleven-year-olds standing in the doorway. Two of them were alike enough to be twins, with blond hair a few shades darker than his own and bright blue eyes. Another was a girl he had seen at the station, one of the numerous redheads that his father had pointed out as the Weasley family. Her red hair was rather bushy, and had been tied back in a messy ponytail that hung at the nape of her neck. The fourth member of the group was a boy, with black hair and green eyes. He stood uncertainly behind the girl, looking into the compartment. The girl eyed him with an odd expression on her face while the twin that stood at the door offered him a tentative smile.

"Hey," he said. "Do you mind if we come in? It's getting a little crowded down the hall."

"Rose, we didn't have to leave," muttered the black-haired boy quietly from behind the girl. The girl's frown deepened, and she turned around to face him.

"You _wanted _to listen to James for the whole train ride?" she asked.

"No!" said the boy, quickly. "But we didn't have to walk out—."

"It was too crowded in that compartment anyway," said the girl, Rose. "Besides, they're not going to miss us." She looked up at Scorpius this time, and her expression softened, her blue eyes becoming slightly apologetic. "...Do you mind?" she asked.

Scorpius wordlessly gathered up his robes in one hand and moved closer to the window, opening up space on the bench beside him. He watched as the four of them entered the room, the second of the twins slowly closing the door behind him. This twin hadn't spoken yet, and was instead examining the compartment as if he hadn't seen anything like it before, a far-off look in his eyes. He took a seat across from him, on the edge of the bench next to the redheaded girl. The dark-haired boy sat directly across from Scorpius, next to the window, and the first of the twins dropped down into the seat beside him.

"Thanks," said the dark-haired boy, looking up at Scorpius.

Scorpius shrugged a shoulder in response. "No problem," he said. He glanced down at the wand in his hand, thinking that he ought to put it away. Just as he moved to do so, the blond twin beside him took notice.

"Is that your wand?" he asked. "Were you doing magic?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No, I wasn't," he said. "I was just—."

"He was probably warding off the flitting freesles," said the other twin, looking up at Scorpius. "That's a rowan wand, isn't it? They're not attracted to rowan."

"Er...the flitting what?" repeated Scorpius.

"Freesles," replied the twin, frowning at Scorpius. "Haven't you heard of them? My mother told me all about them. They get into your mind and feed off your magic. Good idea chasing them away before we get to Hogwarts."

"Lysander, freesles don't exist," said the red-haired girl beside him, matter-of-factly.

"You only think that because you haven't been attacked by one yet," replied the boy, Lysander.

"If they did exist, someone would have written about them by now," insisted the girl.

"My grandfather did," argued Lysander.

"_The Quibbler _doesn't count!"

Scorpius turned away from the conversation, glancing at the twin next to him. The other boy turned towards Scorpius, giving him a slightly apologetic smile. "Sorry about that," he said. "Lysander has some interesting ideas sometimes. But...if the freesles _do _exist, it's safe to say you got rid of them. Good work."

"Uh...thanks?" asked Scorpius. He frowned, studying the blond boy in front of him. He was sure something about him was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. "...You are...?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right!" said the redheaded girl, looking up sharply at him. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? Sorry. I'm Rose Weasley. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Lorcan Scamander," said the boy sitting next to him. He gestured across at his twin. "And you've met my brother Lysander."

Lysander responded with a nod and a small smile.

"I'm Albus Potter," said the black-haired boy, looking up at Scorpius. "Rose's cousin."

Potter. Weasley. Scamander. They were all names that Scorpius recognized. Unfortunately, he didn't recognize any of them in a good way. For a moment, he debated not giving them his name, but realized quickly that that was stupid. Some of them probably already knew who he was. He took a deep breath and straightened up, putting on the composed, somewhat proud expression that had instilled in him since he could walk.

"...Scorpius Malfoy," he said.

A short silence fell over the group, just long enough for Scorpius to consider making his exit. It was quickly broken when Rose spoke up.

"My dad told me about you," said Rose. "At the station. I think our parents knew each other."

"I...suppose they did," said Scorpius with a frown. He studied the girl in front of him, wondering just how much she knew about their parents' history. He probably knew more than he should. His father had decided early on that Scorpius needed to know the truth about what happened from him before he could hear it from anyone else.

"My mother was imprisoned in your dungeon," said Lysander, looking up at him with a dreamy smile. "...Did you know her?"

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably in his seat as everyone turned to look at him. "...Er...no...?"

"Lysander, he obviously wasn't born then," said Rose, her eyes widening in alarm as he turned towards the twin next to her. She looked back at Scorpius. "Sorry," she added apologetically.

"Um...it's alright," said Scorpius, taking a deep breath. He looked around, but nobody seemed to be eyeing him with any hostility. If anything, Albus looked slightly curious as he turned towards him.

"...Wasn't your dad in Slytherin?" he asked.

"My whole family was, actually," replied Scorpius. "...Going as far back as we can remember."

"So you're probably going to be in Slytherin too?" asked Lorcan.

"Mm, probably," said Scorpius, nodding once. Houses were something he had never really given much thought to before. It had always been assumed that he would be in Slytherin like his parents and grandparents, but now he wondered. Would the Hat decide to put him somewhere else?

"All of _my _family's been in Gryffindor," said Rose. "Al's too, I think."

"I'm not sure about my dad's grandparents," replied Albus, giving Rose a slightly worried smile. Scorpius watched them, wondering if they had been having this conversation before they entered. Albus definitely seemed to have gotten a little uncomfortable once the subject of Houses came up.

"Oh, stop it, Albus," said Rose, frowning at him. "Don't listen to what James says! You're not getting into Slytherin! No offense, Scorpius."

"None...none taken," said Scorpius with a somewhat disconcerted frown, watching them. "Slytherin isn't...too bad, you know?"

Albus offered him a weak smile. "I know," he said.

"His brother's just giving him grief about it," said Rose, frowning as she looked up at Scorpius. She turned back towards Albus. "Anyway, remember what your dad said. Even if you _do _get sorted into Slytherin, it doesn't mean anything. You were named for a Slytherin, after all."

Scorpius's frown deepened. "Albus Dumbledore was a Gryffindor..." he said.

"My middle name's Severus," said Albus, giving Scorpius a small smile.

"...Severus...as in Severus Snape?" asked Scorpius.

"That's the one," replied Albus, nodding once. "He was a friend of my grandmother."

"I heard about him," said Scorpius, smiling slightly. "My father talks about him sometimes. He was a spy for the Order, wasn't he?"

"...Yeah," said Albus, brightening up somewhat. "He was—."

Whatever Albus was about to say was interrupted as the door to the compartment opened a crack. He turned towards it, just long enough to see a young girl peering inside. She had dark brown hair, falling down her back, and was already dressed in her black school robes. Her eyes were a light hazel colour, a smattering of freckles across her face. She looked around, before her eyes finally landed on him. They widened, and she took a step back.

"Hello," said Rose, giving her a warm smile. The girl shook her head and quickly took off, scurrying down the corridor.

"W-Wait," said Albus, getting up. "You can come in. There's still room!"

His offer remained unanswered, except for the sound of hurried footsteps and the sudden slamming of another compartment door. Albus frowned, slowly settling back in his seat. Rose's frown deepened, and she tucked a loose strand of red hair behind her ear.

"What was that all about?" asked Lorcan.

Scorpius said nothing, glancing across the compartment at Albus. The other boy was staring at the door, a confused look on his face. His frown deepened. He had been certain that the girl was looking at him before she ran off.

Him and Albus.

XxXxX

The rest of the train ride passed without incident. The conversation turned to Quidditch for a while, before the snack trolley came by and each of them bought something to eat. Albus bought a box of Chocolate Frogs to share, and they spent some of the afternoon comparing wizard cards before Rose drifted off to sleep, and Lysander started reading. Lorcan dug up a box of Every-Flavoured Beans, which he proceeded to share with Scorpius and Albus. They talked for a bit, sometimes about Quidditch, and sometimes about magic, but they always managed to stay away from the subject of Houses or families.

Probably for the best.

By the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station, the five of them had completely forgotten about the strange girl. Instead, as Rose left the compartment to change and the others pulled on their Hogwarts robes, their thoughts were all turned towards the impending Sorting. Scorpius got into a boat with Albus, Lorcan, and Lysander, Rose having gone off to join some of her cousins, or something or another. The ride across the lake was fascinating, but it was over much too quickly, and before Scorpius knew it, he was standing in the entrance hall with the other first-years, feeling as though a block of lead had dropped into the pit of his stomach.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he glanced at Albus. The other boy was a wreck, constantly tugging on his robes and looking everywhere in the room except for at him. It was understandable why Albus was nervous—he wanted to be in Gryffindor like the rest of his family, but why was _he _nervous?

Didn't he already know where he was going?

...Did he not..._want _to be in Slytherin?

He took a deep breath, glancing at Lorcan and Rose. They seemed nervous as well. In fact, the only calm person from their compartment was Lysander, which wasn't too much of a surprise. Scorpius already had a feeling that the other Scamander twin was somewhat mad.

He caught a glimpse of someone looking at him out of the corner of his eye and turned. The brown-haired girl from before was there as well, but she quickly turned away as soon as she saw him looking, tugging at her hair and keeping her eyes on the ground. He frowned, but said nothing as the door opened, admitting Professor Longbottom again.

"They're ready for you now," he said. "Right this way."

Scorpius took a deep breath, trying not to let any of his nervousness show on his face. He straightened up, putting on the same proud expression he wore earlier again.

A stern woman stood up, facing them. The moment she did, the Great Hall broke into murmurs and whispers, several people muttering to each other as they looked up at her. Scorpius caught the words "McGonagall" and "retired" floating around the room, and he took in a breath. They were right. Wasn't there an article in the Prophet about Professor McGonagall retiring from her post?

The former Headmistress raised a hand, and a hush settled over the room. "As you all know," she said. "I formally retired over the summer, as Headmistress of Hogwarts. However, because of some slight altercations over the matter of my successor, I am here to announce that the Ministry has appointed an interim Headmaster for this year, until those issues can be resolved. It is to that end that I present to you Professor Carius Noble, who some of you might remember as our former Ancient Runes instructor. Professor Noble has agreed to return to Hogwarts for this year to assume the responsibilities of Headmaster until further notice. That is all."

Professor McGonagall sat down again, and the man seated next to her stood up. Carius Noble looked to be about in his late forties, with dark hair growing gray at the temples and stern dark eyes. A welcoming, if slightly nervous smile, formed on his face. Scorpius watched Professor McGonagall, taking note of the expression on her face. She didn't look too pleased with this current turn of events. Had something happened over the summer?

Before he had time to fully wonder about this, Professor Noble faced them.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," he said. "I must say, I was rather startled by this turn of events, but I do hope to serve you well in this year." He smiled. "Now then," he said, his eyes sweeping over the first-years. "On with the Sorting."

Right. On with the Sorting. Scorpius felt Albus tense up from behind him as he looked up at the hat, listening as it began its song, describing the qualities of each House and ending with a brief message on House unity. He took a deep breath, clenching his fist to keep them from trembling as Professor Longbottom unrolled a scroll and started to read. He barely paid attention as the students ahead of him got sorted, noticing only that quite a few people were getting sorted into Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff this year, compared with a handful of Gryffindors and Slytherins.

He swallowed as Professor Longbottom started on the Ls. Not long now...

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

Scorpius took a deep breath and stepped forward, sitting on the stool. The hat dropped over his eyes, and before his vision was lost in a sea of black felt, he caught sight of several students watching him. Most looked bored. The Slytherin table watched, grins on their faces as if they already knew how this was going to turn out. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard something in the back of his mind.

_Hmm..._he said. _...That's intriguing. _

_What is...? _he thought, thinking at it.

The hat was silent for a few moments longer, before he spoke. _...You're...a little more difficult than your ancestors, aren't you, boy? _

Scorpius frowned. _What do you mean by that? _he asked.

_I'm saying...where to put you isn't immediately clear, _said the Hat. _I could put you in Slytherin, you know. That seems to be the obvious choice. There's cunning here, and ambition too. You'd do well there. But...you're not..._quite _the same. I'll need to give this some thought..." _

Some thought...? Was he saying that he didn't have what it took to be a Slytherin like the rest of his family? He felt as though he should have been offended, but for some reason, he wasn't. The Hat was quiet for what felt like forever, and after a while, Scorpius found himself growing more and more nervous. The entire Great Hall was quiet now, as if they were all holding their breath for the Hat's verdict.

_...Aha, I see, _said the Hat. _Very well. Let's go with that, then. I think you'll do quite well in..._

"_GRYFFINDOR!" _

The entire Hall burst into noise.

XxXxX

"_GRYFFINDOR!" _

Albus stared as the Hat was pulled off of Scorpius's head, the blond boy blinking in surprise as he looked around the Great Hall. There were shouts and whispers flying left and right, the hall erupting into chaos at the Hat's decision. The Slytherins looked cheated, and the Gryffindors simply seemed stunned. He saw some of his cousins grinning and talking amongst themselves, their red hair standing out in the crowd. It took a minute, but the Gryffindor table started reluctantly cheering.

Scorpius looked like he was about to faint as he walked shakily over to the Gryffindor table. Albus saw James move over so that he could sit, another of cousins pushing a glass of pumpkin juice into Scorpius's hand as someone patted him on the back. Scorpius drank almost mechanically, as though he were still stunned. The noise in the hall reached a crescendo, and then quieted for a moment as Professor Longbottom raised his hand and read the next name.

The Sorting resumed, finishing up the Ms and going on to the Ns. Albus took a deep breath, feeling slightly nauseous now. Rose leaned over, placing a calming hand on his shoulder, and he nodded at her, taking a deep breath.

"Noble, Cassiopeia," read Neville.

Albus frowned, watching as the brown-haired girl from the train walked up, sitting on the stool. The hat dropped over her eyes, and the hall was quiet for a moment.

"Noble?" whispered Lorcan from beside him. "Like Carius Noble?"

"Probably," replied Rose, "I know Victoire said Professor Noble retired because of his daughter..."

Albus frowned, looking over at the Gryffindor table. Scorpius seemed to have momentarily gotten over the shock of his own sorting, and was staring intently at Cassiopeia Noble now, a frown on his face. Finally, the Hat shouted a word to the rest of the hall.

"_HUFFLEPUFF!" _

The Hufflepuff table cheered, and the young girl slid off of the chair, hurriedly scurrying over to them. For a moment, Albus forgot all about her and her father as he looked at Neville, swallowing hard. Not long now. Before he knew it, the Herbology professor looked up, reading his name.

"Potter, Albus."

Albus took a deep breath and walked up, sitting on the stool. Once again, a hush settled over the room as the hat fell over his eyes. He tensed, feeling it start to probe through his mind.

_...Hmm...another Potter..._it said. _Where should I put you...? _

_Not Slytherin, _he started to think, but he stopped himself. Hadn't his father already said that it didn't matter what House he got Sorted in. He felt the Hat chuckle in the back of his mind.

_Not Slytherin? _he asked. _You're not the first one I've heard that from, young Mister Potter. Are you sure? _

_...No, _admitted Albus. He wasn't sure. I mean...if the Hat really wanted to put him in Slytherin...who was he to say no?

_Really? _asked the Hat. _Because I could put you in either one, you know. Gryffindor or Slytherin, you'd do well in both. _

_Whichever one I'd do better in, then..._thought Albus.

He didn't want to decide. At the moment, he just wanted this to be over with. He took a deep breath, wishing the Hat would just sort him already.

_If that's what you want..._said the Hat. _...Then I suppose it better be..._

"_SLYTHERIN!" _

The Great Hall went deathly quiet. Albus stared as the Hat was whisked off his head, his eyes meeting Scorpius's. The newly Sorted Gryffindor stared back at him, his own eyes wide as if he couldn't believe it.

XxXxX

**A/N: **If you haven't figured it out already, the Sorting was the challenge that sparked this story. I hope you guys continue to read, and enjoy it.


	2. Adjustments

**Albus, Scorpius and the Book of Fate**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **A lot of this story seems to be coming from Scorpius's POV, even though that was not intentional. I'm going to try to get some of Albus's POV in to even things out at some point. Al and Scorp are the main characters of this, so only their viewpoints will be used.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 2: ADJUSTMENTS**

When Scorpius woke, his first inclination was to wonder where all the red was coming from. His second was to wonder why on earth there was a heavy ball of fur on his chest, and why it was breathing.

Scorpius jumped in surprise, startling the orange-furred cat. It let out an angry hiss, its claws extended as it scratched at Scorpius's face. He yelped, springing back and hitting his head on the headboard as he threw his arm up in front of him. The cat's claws scratched down his forearm, before it jumped off the bed, shooting him an affronted look before walking out of the door. Scorpius took a deep breath, studying the scratches on his arm as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't think she likes you," said a voice from his right.

Scorpius turned his head. Lysander Scamander stood there, beside another four-poster bed. He was half-dressed in his Hogwarts robes, and was currently doing up his tie, a contemplative frown on his face as he followed the cat's path with his eyes.

"Where did that demon cat come from?" asked Scorpius with a scowl, throwing the scarlet covers off of himself and sliding out of bed. The scratches stung, but they looked like the sort that would heal in time. They probably weren't even worth the trip to the hospital wing.

"Rose," said Lysander simply.

"That was _Rose's _cat?" asked Scorpius, bending to pick up the stack of clothes and textbooks that had tumbled over in the cat's wake.

"Yes," said Lysander simply, tucking his tie down the front of his robes.

"Why was it in my bed?"

"I put her there," said Lysander, as though it was obvious. Scorpius stared at him, giving him a flat look.

"You did," he repeated.

"Yes."

Scorpius stared, wondering if it was worth it to ask. After a moment, he sighed, unbuttoning his pyjamas and reaching for his school uniform. "Lysander..." he began. "_Why?" _

"You looked like you were having bad dreams," said Lysander. "I thought it might be the bintles getting to you. They don't like cats, you know."

"You're out of your bloody mind."

"It's not polite to swear," replied Lysander with a soft smile. The boy held out his hand, holding something out towards Scorpius. The other boy frowned, staring at it. It was a scarlet and gold tie, identical to the one Lysander was now wearing. "I think this is yours, by the way. It fell over here."

"...Right," he said, taking it from him and slipping it around his neck. Scarlet and gold. Not the colours he had been expecting to wear on his first day at Hogwarts. Then again, he guessed that Albus wasn't expecting to start sporting green and silver either. He frowned, his thoughts going back to the uproar that had followed Albus's sorting last night.

"_There's got to be some mistake!" someone—one of the Weasleys, presumably—yelled. "The Sorting Hat's gotten confused or something and switched their Houses!" _

_Murmurs of agreement followed this claim, coming from the Slytherin table as well. Scorpius, for the most part, settled on making himself very small. Albus still sat on the stool, looking for a moment as though he would rather disappear or be anywhere else in the world than where he was right now._

"_Miss Weasley, settle down—!" began Professor Longbottom. _

"_The Weasel has a point," said one of the Slytherins, getting up. "Look, we all know Malfoy's supposed to be over here, so how about we just switch them?" _

"_Mister Selwyn—," began Professor Longbottom again. _

"_Sorting doesn't work that way and you know it!" declared another Weasley, getting up. Neville cleared his throat. "Will everyone please—," he began. _

"_Quiet!" shouted Professor McGonagall, getting up. The entire Hall quieted down, all eyes turning towards the former Headmistress. She eyed each table sternly, her gaze falling on Gryffindor and Slytherin a little longer than most before she addressed the entire Hall. "The Sorting Hat's decisions are final," she said. "I will hear nothing more on the subject. I am sure that Mister Malfoy and Mister Potter are exactly where they are supposed to be..."_

Exactly where they are supposed to be...

Scorpius frowned as he finished with his tie, following Lysander outside. He hoped his father would see it that way, at least. He already knew his grandfather would be a hopeless cause, especially if he ever found out that one of the boys in Scorpius's year was Muggle-born. Poor Michael Webb had spent the first half of the feast wondering why everyone was so surprised, before finally having someone explain to him that Scorpius's family were traditionally Slytherin. Scorpius was thankful that no one bothered to explain to him the full extent of the reason for their surprise—he didn't particularly _want _to make enemies on the first day.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, an arm hooked around his neck, pulling him aside. "Here's our exchange student!" said Fred Weasley with a laugh, pulling Scorpius to face an assembled group of redheads, one blond girl, and a second-year he recognized as James Potter.

"You're still alive," joked one of the redheads. Scorpius thought her name was Roxanne, or something. "So your father didn't send a house elf to kill you in your sleep?"

"Don't sound so disappointed, Roxie," said the blond girl, a fourth-year. Scorpius remembered her as Dominique. "He probably hasn't read the letter yet." Scorpius blinked, unsure for a moment what to say. Luckily, another redheaded girl came to his rescue. She stomped towards Fred, forcibly pulling his arm off of Scorpius's shoulders.

"Fred, what are you doing?" demanded Rose. "Leave Scorpius alone!"

"Oh, come on, Rosie, it's all in good fun," said Fred, giving Rose a grin.

Rose was not amused. She rested her hands on her hips. "All in good fun until Victoire comes down and wonders why we're not at breakfast," she said. "We're already running late, and we still need to get our timetables! Come on, Scorpius, Lysander. Let's go see how Al's doing."

She grabbed both Scorpius and Lysander by the wrists, dragging them towards the portrait exit before either of them could protest.

"Hey!" said Scorpius, attempting to pull his robe out of her grip. Rose was insistent, though, and he jogged to keep up so that he could avoid falling over.

"Bloody hell," Scorpius heard one of the Weasley boys mutter as they left. "Doesn't she remind you of someone?"

Rose released them as soon as they were outside, and the three of them made their way to the Great Hall. "Honestly, that lot..." she muttered under her breath. She turned towards him. "Don't let them get to you, Scorpius. They just like getting under people's skin. I'm sure your family will be very supportive about your sorting."

"I'm not worried," said Scorpius, although in the back of his mind, he was thinking: _You don't know my family..._

They entered the Great Hall. Lysander set off towards the Ravenclaw Table in search of his twin as he and Rose took seats at the end of the Gryffindor Table. Scorpius sat down and quietly started filling his plate with food, trying not to think about the letter he had written to his father last night. The fact that it had been penned in scarlet ink should have been more than enough to tip Draco Malfoy off to the fact that his son wasn't in Slytherin. He was fairly certain Draco would have written back by now, which meant he would be getting his response any time soon.

He hoped it wasn't a Howler. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to get a Howler on his first day! Rose simply stared at him as he mentioned this to her, though.

"Scorpius, stop being silly," she said. "Your father will _not _send you a Howler because you got sorted into Gryffindor."

"No, but my grandfather might..." began Scorpius with a frown, picking up his fork and starting to eat.

XxXxX

Waking up in the dungeon was an odd experience for Albus, but it wasn't as odd as the experience of having older Slytherins that wouldn't give him the time of day on the train suddenly start talking to him and offering him 'helpful advice'. Since most of it involved cutting off ties with his 'blood traitor' cousins unless absolutely necessary, he had decided to take it with a grain of salt. The younger Potter son adjusted his green and silver tie, feeling slightly self-conscious as he entered the Great Hall. He looked around, his eyes landing on Rose and Scorpius as they sat at the end of the Gryffindor Table.

"Your parents are _not _going to disown you!" he heard Rose shout adamantly, setting her fork down. "Honestly, Scorpius, to hear you talk, you'd think being in Gryffindor was the end of the world!"

"You should hear my grandfather talk about it then," muttered Scorpius under his breath, stabbing at his eggs with a fork.

"Something wrong?" asked Al, dropping into the seat beside Scorpius.

"Scorpius is overreacting about the matter of his Sorting," replied Rose.

"Rose is grossly underestimating my family's ability to overreact," replied Scorpius. He frowned, turning his head towards Al. "Speaking of Houses, how's Slytherin?" he asked.

"Oh...alright, I guess," replied Al with a frown, picking an apple up from the basket in front of him. He studied it for a moment before taking a bite. So far, it didn't seem _quite _as bad as he imagined it would be, but it could have been better.

"Have you told Uncle Harry yet?" asked Rose.

Al nodded. "I sent Titan out with a letter last night."

"Titan?" asked Scorpius, frowning.

"Al's Scops owl," supplied Rose.

Scorpius's frown deepened. "But aren't Scops owls...tiny?" he asked.

Al made a face, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "They are," he said. "My little sister named it as a joke and now I can't get rid of it."

"When do you think he'll be back?" asked Rose.

Scorpius took a bite of food, looking up as a sudden rushing sound filled the air. "Probably about..._now_."

A wave of owls swept in through the open window, rushing over the student's heads. Al couldn't help but stare, his eyes wide. He had expected there to be a lot of owls at Hogwarts, but he hadn't expected there to be this many. Letters and parcels dropped down from the sky, landing in front of their respective owners, along with several pieces of parchment with a seal stamped onto the top. A letter and a piece of parchment fell down in front of Al. Rose and Scorpius got similar deliveries, although Scorpius's letter was accompanied by a package wrapped in brown paper. Al frowned, opening up his letter. It was written in his mother's neat handwriting.

_Al, _

_It's great to hear that you made it safely and are settling into Hogwarts well! I know you were worried about getting Sorted into Slytherin, but I hope you know that your father and I are both very proud of you, and would have been proud of you no matter which House you were placed in. I hope your classes go well. Stay out of trouble, study hard, and keep an eye out for your brother. You know how he gets. _

_Love, _

_Mum_

Al set the letter aside, looking over at Scorpius. The Malfoy heir was reading his letter, a stunned expression on his face.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah..." said Scorpius, nodding once.

"Well go on," said Rose. "What does it say? You've been talking about it long enough. We deserve to know!"

"It...It says..._'Your mother and I are both happy for you. We know you'll do well anywhere. As expected, your grandfather is a little...surprised, but don't worry. He'll come around...'_."

"See?" said Rose, resting her hands on the table. "I told you! What's in the package?"

"Something from my mother," said Scorpius, setting the letter aside and opening it up. His eyes widened as scarlet fabric began peeking out through the tear he caused. Scorpius pulled it out fully, holding it up. It was a scarlet scarf, with a Gryffindor crest emblazoned on one end. A note fell out of the packaging, and Rose picked it up before Scorpius could get to it.

"It says, _'I had to use a charm to change the colours and crest—your Sorting caught us by surprise! I want you to know how proud I am of you. Take care and write often. Love, Mother." _Rose set down the card, her eyes widening as she touched the fabric of the scarf. "Scorpius, it's beautiful! It probably cost a fortune."

"Mm..." said Scorpius, setting the scarf aside as though he didn't know what to say. He picked up the other sheet of parchment in front of him. It was a schedule, with the Gryffindor crest emblazoned at the top and a number 1 drawn over it. "Looks like we have our timetables," he said.

"Oh, right," said Rose, picking up her own sheet. "I nearly forgot. We have History of Magic first."

Al made a face. "James told me that class is horrible," he said, picking up his own timetable. Unlike Scorpius and Rose's, his had the Slytherin crest at the top, and was written in emerald green ink. "I've got Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws."

"Say hello to Lorcan for us," said Rose. "Let's see...next is Herbology, and then Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Do we have any classes together?"

"Um...Potions, it looks like," replied Al, scanning his own schedule. "Guess we'll see each other then?"

"Looks like," replied Scorpius, studying his own timetable. "Flying lessons in October?" he asked. "I already know how to fly."

"So do we," said Rose. "But they're required, aren't they?"

Al nodded. "James was complaining about them all last year. This summer, he's been going on and on about how he's going to make our Quidditch team. Well—your Quidditch team, I guess."

"Exactly," said a voice from behind him, an arm wrapping around his shoulders and nearly pushing him into his plate of food. "My Quidditch team. Looks like you got lost on the way to breakfast, little brother."

"Shove off, James," said Al, pushing his brother off of him and wriggling out of his grasp. "I'm having breakfast with Rose and Scorpius."

"This is the Gryffindor table," said James with a grin, settling down on Scorpius's other side. "You know. For Gryffindors."

"James, leave him alone!" said Rose. "He's not bothering anyone!"

"It's alright," said Al with a frown, glaring at James. He got up, picking up his timetable, plate and letter. "I was going to head back anyway. See you guys in Potions."

"See you," said Rose, frowning. She glared at James. "See what you've done?" she asked.

Scorpius frowned, watching as Al walked away, his backpack slung over one shoulder. "Albus!" he called, causing the other boy to look back.

"What?" he asked.

"About the people in your year," said Scorpius. "Flint's a little on the thick side, but he's pretty harmless. Malcolm Nott's alright—he's my cousin—but he can get a bit sneaky and can throw temper tantrums once in a while. Stay away from Rosier and Bulstrode. I don't know much about Clements and Knight—I don't know them from society. And whatever you do, steer clear of Goyle. She'd want nothing more than to rip your heart out and eat it."

Al and Rose stared at Scorpius in surprise. After a while, Scorpius frowned, giving Al an embarrassed shrug. "I grew up with some of these people," he said. "...Just thought it would help."

Al's face broke into a grin. "Thanks," he said. "In return, don't ever eat anything Fred, James, or Roxanne offers you."

This time, it was Scorpius's turn to blink in surprise. He glanced at James, who gave him a grin and an shrug in response. "I'll keep that in mind," he said. "See you later, Albus."

"Call me Al," replied Al with a grin, walking back towards the Slytherin table.


End file.
